Gervinho and the 10 Most Exciting New Signings in the English Premier League

The 2011-12 English Premier League season is finally underway and heading into its second week of play, with those big name off-season transfer players suiting up for their respective clubs.

Arsenal's acquisition of Gervinho from Lille OSC was one of the most exciting signings during the transfer window period so far, and here are nine others that also shook up the EPL.

John O'Shea to Sunderland

While Manchester United is known for reeling in their fair share of talent, they actually did part ways with players such as John O'Shea during this transfer window.

O'Shea was sent to Sunderland for an undisclosed amount of money, and will now be able to find himself in the starting 11 much more often than during his time with Man U.

For a team that finished 10th in the league standings, and conceded 56 goals last year, Sunderland will be happy to have the Irishman on defense for their club.

Gael Clichy to Manchester City

Manchester City whipped out the check book for some big name players during this transfer window, one of which was former Arsenal defender Gael Clichy.

Man City's defense is already one of the strongest aspects of the team, and adding Clichy for some much needed insurance may not be a ground-breaking move, but it's a smart one.

With Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany, the defense of City is difficult to score against to say the least.

Adding Clichy provides depth in case of injury to the three aforementioned starters, and a quality in-game substitute as well.

Stewart Downing to Liverpool

After a controversial transfer that sent the face of their club in Fernando Torres packing over to league rivals Chelsea, Liverpool used their payment from the Blues to cover the bill on their recent flurry of transfer acquisitions. 

Former Aston Villa midfielder Stewart Downing was a part of the recent roster moves, making his debut in their August 13th match against Sunderland. Though never racking up double-digit goals in his career, Downing does help shore-up The Red's midfield.

Shay Given to Aston Villa

While many in Manchester City forgot about the presence of Shay Given in 2010 due to the heroics of Joe Hart, Aston Villa certainly remembered the talent Given possesses.

Given was replaced as goalkeeper for City last season, in what turned out to be a good move for them considering Hart won the Barclay's Golden Glove that year.

Given may be getting older, but don't forget 2007 when he posted 78 saves for Newcastle United in just 19 games started.

With goalkeepers usually commanding a hefty fee in the transfer market, Villa scooped up Given cheaply, and will hope to see him regain form similar to 2007 after sitting all of last season on Man City's bench.

Ashley Young to Manchester United

The 2010-11 season may have been one to forget for Ashley Young's former team Aston Villa, finishing 9th in the Premier League standings, but statistically it was Young's best season since 2008.

The Englishman recorded seven goals and 10 assists for his club, proving to be one of the more productive players on the attack for Villa.

Young's career with defending EPL champions Manchester United has just begun, starting just one game so far. However, he was able to assist one of his teammates and log three shots in his first performance for the champs.

Young may not be one of the biggest playmakers on the field this season with his new team, but perhaps with less pressure on him he'll have an even bigger season than he did last year. 

Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea

While it's quite possible that Romelu Lukaku may not contribute much for Chelsea this season, that's not why the club went out and signed the 18-year-old.

Lukaku has already begun drawing comparisons to Didier Drogba with his style of play, and has recently vowed to learn from the veteran footballer.

With important pieces to Chelsea's championship puzzle such as Drogba and Frank Lampard both 33, Lukaku is a good investment to groom for when the team loses talent such as them several years down the road.

Sergio Aguero to Manchester City

The former Vice-Captain of Atletico Madrid produced yet another impressive season in 2010, scoring 20 goals in 31 appearances for his former club.

He also logged 125 shots during the year, which isn't a huge surprise considering Aguero and Diego Forlan were quite the formidable striking duo to defend against during their time together.

The Argentine has already driven two goals into the back of the net for Manchester City on just five shots. He's also logged an assist for his new team, which is already just one shy of his total in 2010 with Atletico.

Aguero has yet to find himself in the starting 11 for his English club, but regardless of how Man City chooses to use their deadly striker there's a fair reason to expect plenty of goals out of their new signing.

Yohan Cabaye to Newcastle United

In a Lille lineup that consisted of young superstar Eden Hazard and Gervinho, it might be easy to forget about how good Yohan Cabaye really was for his former club.

His offensive stats from last season weren't overly impressive, but that was mostly due to a lineup change that made Hazard and Gervinho the primary playmakers for the French club.

Previously Cabaye was Lille's go-to guy to create offense, which is why he recorded 13 goals on an impressive 103 shots with eight assists just two season ago. 2010-11 was a different story however, with the Frenchman posting just two goals in 35 games, though he was able to assist on nine occasions.

Newcastle United was able to work a deal with Lille and bring Cabaye over to their squad for an undisclosed amount of money. After a disappointing season last year for the Magpies where they finished 12th in the standings, they're hoping their new acquisition will help them break out of the middle of the pack in the EPL.

David De Gea to Manchester United

It was a position the mighty Manchester United had to address during this transfer window, and in typical fashion they addressed it by adding one of the best available.

David De Gea was arguably one of the best keepers in La Liga last season, posting an impressive 154 saves in 38 games started for Atletico Madrid.

De Gea is just 20 years old and steps in as a perfect replacement for the recently retired Edwin van der Sar.

The defending EPL champions have secured the best goalkeeper they could buy in order to make sure that the title of league champions doesn't get removed from their grasp too many times in the years to come.

Gervinho to Arsenal

After losing a player as phenomenal and crowd pleasing as Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona, Arsenal needed to revitalize their offense during the transfer window, and they did just that when they acquired Gervinho from Lille.

The Ivory Coast forward has posted back-to-back double-digit goal seasons. Last year, Gervinho drove 14 through the back of the net, improving on his 13 scored in the 2009-10 season.

He may not be on the same skill level as a Fabregas, but he's close and also just 24 years old. The Gunners have found themselves a very adequate replacement for their former playmaker.